Miniature baseball game



Aug. 25, 1925. 1,551,216

' T. l. POTTER MINIATURE BASEBALL GAME Fil u 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. I. POTTER MINIATURE BASEBALL GAME Aug. 25, l 925.

Filed June 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES.

1,551,216 PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS IRVING POTTER, or EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, assreNon ro FEDERATED ENGINEERSDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JEnsEY, Anon- PORATION or D LAWARE.

MINIATURE BASEBALL GAM Application filed June 21 19 21. seria No. 479,359.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS IRVING Por- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange,in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miniature Baseball Games; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

7 and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to games or toys and more particularly to a miniature baseball game torindoor use, one object being to provide a game oi this character that will contain the essential features of the game as it is played on a; regulation playing field.

Theplaying fieldof the present'device is, of course, of greatly reduced area. but it is divided into an outfield and an infield, miniature players being disposed around the field in the various positions usually occupied by players. Thebases or bags are denoted in the infield and mechanism, is provided for advancing miniature players, representing runners, around the bases at limited andcontrolla'ble speed by manual operation. Mechanism is providedv for pitching and catching the ball, the pitching mechanism" being underthe control of one of the persons participating in the game. Appli ances are also provided for'manually batting and fieldingthe ball, the fielding appliance being such that the speed, with which another participant oif'the game can field a batted ball, is limited, thus requiring skill for stopping a batted ball and fielding it to a base beforethe arrival of a runner sought to be advanced to the base by the participants opponent.

n e c p nying drawings;

I Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a device embodying the present invention; Fig.2 :is a top, plan view, Flg. 3 a VGItlCtthCIOSS sectionon line 3:43, Flg. 2, of baseforming the playing field; r

Fig. 4: is a cross section on" the line 44:

of Fig. 2, showing the backstop and net;

Fig. 5fis a s de view, in sectiomofF g. Fig.6 is anelevation,inisect on, fonthe line" of F g. showing'the pitching mechanism;

Fig. 7 F e 6;

"Fig.8 is a detail view showing a portion of the mechanism for advancing miniature players around the bases;

b 9 is a View of the bat for batting the a 1 Fig. 10 is a View of the fielding bat for fielding a battedball; and

Fig. 11 is a modified form of fielding bat. The playing field 1 is formed of the up per plane surface of a base board of any convenient size but preferably of substantially rectangular shape and the playing field is bounded on each side by a retaining fence or wall 2 for preventing the ball leaving the playing field. -The playing field is divided into the outfield and infield,

as usual, an'derected behind one corner of the infield is a backstop 3 having anopeir ing t therein through which the ball may pass a small net 5 being secured around the back of opening 4 for retaining the ball is a side elevation, in sectioinof.

after passing through the opening. Back- I stop 3 1S hingedly secured, to i the base;

board 1 and is supported against the re taining wall 2 but when, the apparatus is to be packed the backstop; may be folded down so as to lie below theretaining wall as shown in dotted lines in, Fig.

On the side of theplaying field opposite backstop 3, there is provided a pitching mechanism for delivering the ball toward the backstop. The pitching mechanism consists of a swinging arm 6 loosely mounted on: a pivot pin 7 secured in a frame extension 8 on the playing field. As shown in Fig. a stop bar 9 extending inwardly from the wall 2, limits the forward movement of arm 6 and said arm can be pulled backward against the tension of a spring 10 attached to its lower end, the wall 2 limiting this rearward movement. The ball 13 is retained onarm 6 by supporting pins 12 and,in operation, a small handle 11 on the rear of arm 6 is grasped between the lingers ofthe participant and pulled backward any desireddistance and then released. Supporting members 12 will retain the ball uir til themovement of arm 6 is arrested" by stop: 9, after which the ball continues on its v rately but connected. together by a flexible swung upward and the arm 6 folded down below wall 2 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7.

As is usual, suitable base indicating means a third base. The preferred form of mechanism for advancing the runners around the bases consists of an endless belt 17 positioned on the rollers 15, 16, a groove or channel 14 being formed in the base board intermediate the several rollers so that the belt will lie below the surfaceof said board, the rollers also being located below said surface to preventinterference with a ball batted into-the field. Miniature figures 19, representing players, are provided with a circular basehaving a hole therein whereby they may be placedover one of a series of pins 18 secured at proper intervals to the belt 17. Roller 16 is formed with a stem which extends down below the base board and terminates in a detachable handle 20 and by rotating handle 20 and roller 16 belt 17 is caused to travel around the bases or rollers 15, 16'carrying with it the pins 18 and any players that might be mounted thereon,

' Other"miniaturefigures 21 are disposed around the entire playing field 1 in the several positions usually occupied by'players on 'a ball field. The apparatus is provided with a bat 22 with which one' of the participants of the game must bat the ball as it is delivered by his opponent with the pitching mechanism before described. Pitches not offered at by thebatsman are balls or strikes, those passing through the opening 4 in the backstop; 3'being strikes and those not passing through said opening being balls. A ball knocked into fair territory on the field is fielded by the batsmans opponent with the use of a fielding bat 24 having an integral enlarged end 23 such as shown in Fig. 10, or-if desired the fielding bat. may take the form of that shown in Fig. 11 wherein the handleo'f the bat and the end portion 28 are'made sepatube 25 or any other yielding connection.

After the batsman has batted the ball he advances a runner fromjthe home base around the bases as far as he canvbefo're his opponent fields the ball back to the infield, and the opponent, on the other hand, seeks to return the ball to one of the bases before the arrival of the runner in order to make an out. To facilitate making the out at a base, an umpire pin 26 IS located at each base for retaining the ball,

when placed on the base, against the runner endeavoring to make the base. To retard the fielding of the ball suitable obstructions in the form of strips 27 may be placed around 3 the playing field and the fielder must not pass the ball over these strips.

The batsman is likewise handicapped in advancing his runners by making the handle 20 comparatively small, thus limiting the speed of travel of belt 17 and maintaining the proper relation between the opposing participants. I v

Inoperation the apparatus is placed on a table or other suitable support, one p'articipant who is to pitch and field stands behind the pitching arm 6-and his opponent who is to bat stands by the backstop 3 with the bat 22 extending in front of same. The ball may be pitched high or low according to the distance arm 6 is pulled back and the batter endeavors to hit it, a strike being called if he misses and the ball passes through opening 41 and aball being called if it does not pass through said opening. If he succeeds in hitting the ball into fair territory he immediately drops the bat and operates handle 20 thereby carrying one of the figures 19, representing his runner, from the home base toward first base. His opponent, the pitcher, by manipulation with the fielding bat 23 endeavors toshift the ball 13 from the field to the base the runner is seeking to make if he succeeds in placing the ball on that base in such position against the umpire pin that it cannot be pushed away with the runner, the runner is out and is removed from the field. If a batted ball knocks over the miniature figure representing the pitcher or any of the other fieldplayers 21 the ball is counted as caught and the batter out.

The ball 13 is made with a chamois cover or other soft material, small shot being incorporated in it to make it non-resilient or dead and the bat 22 being comparatively small, the ball is better prevented from leaving the playing field. 'Handle 20 for advancing the runners being small, and too rapid'shifting of the batted ball being prevented by the strips 27, a considerable degree of skill is required in playing the game, thus adding interest thereto. The provision for variation in the" pitching of the ball and consequent difficulty in successfully battin the'ball'likewise adds' to the skill required and the-interest of the game.

What I claim is:

' 1. In a game board of the character described,the combination of a" playing field base indicators arranged in rectangular formation and denoting the infield, means for moving miniature players around the bases, mechanism for delivering the ball to the batter, means for batting the delivered ball, manually operable means for fielding a ball batted into the field and moving the ball toward a base, and means at each of the bases for assisting in blocking an advancing runner at said bases with the fielded ball.

2. In a game board of the character described, the' combination of a playing field, bases indicated on the field, manually. operated means for moving miniature players around the bases, means for fielding a batted ball, and means at each base adapted to cooperate with the fielded ball in blocking an advancing base runner.

3. In a game board of the character described, the combination of a playing field, said field being divided into an infield and an outfield, bases indicated on the infield, manually operable means for moving miniature players, around the bases, means for fielding a batted ball to a base, means at each base for assisting in blocking an advancing player with the fielded ball, and obstructions positioned in the outfield and the infield for retarding the fielding of the ball to a base. 1

4. In a game board such as described, a playing field having bases denoted thereon, means for moving miniature players around the bases, means for delivering balls toward the home base, a bat adapted to be manipulated by a participant of the game for batting a delivered ball and a fielding bat adapted to be manipulated by said participants opponent for fielding a batted ball to a base.

5. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination with a playingfield, a ball, and player tokens, of means for pitching a ball and means for fielding a batted ball to a base both under manual control of one operator, means for batting a ball into the field and means for actuating the base runner tokens both under manual control of another operator.

6. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination with a playing field having base indications thereon, miniature players representing a team at bat, means under control of one operator for batting a pitched ball, means under control of said operator for advancing said players" around the bases in simulation of base runners, a second set of miniature players supported on said field representing a team in the field and adapt ed to be knocked over by a batted ball, and pitching means and fielding means each under control of i a second operator, said fielding means comprising a'bat with which a batted ball may be pushed about the field.

7. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination of a playing field having base indications thereon, a set of miniature players representing a team in the field, a second set of players representing a team at bat, means under control of one operator for batting a pitched ball, means under control of said operator for advancing players of the second set around the bases, means under control of a second operator for pitching a ball, manually operated means under control of the second operator for fielding a batted ball, and pins adjacent each of the base indications against which a fielded ball may be positioned to block an advancing base runner. p

8. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination with a playing field, a ball, and player tokens, of means for pitching a ball, means for batting a pitched ball into the field, means for actuating the layer tokens, and a manually operable fielding stick for moving a batted ball across the field.

9. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination with a playing field, a ball, and player tokens, of mechanical means for pitching a ball, mechanical means for actuating base runner tokens, means for batting a pitched ball, and means for fielding a batted ball to a base, said batting and fielding means both being manually operated.

THOMAS IRVING POTTER. 

